Museo Sergio Castro

The Museo Sergio Castro is a collection of 90+ regional and indigenous costumes from populations all around Chiapas. Right in the Barrio Merced of San Cristóbal de la Casas, the museum is close to everything and makes a nice stop if you are strolling the area. The entire collection includes jewelry, musical instruments, clothing accessories, religious objects, hats, masks, statuettes, and animal skins.

Sergio Castro Martínez, the founder of the museum, is an agricultural engineer, teacher, and veterinarian. Much of his time is dedicated to humanitarian aid and to the study of indigenous populations and languages. He speaks Tzotzil, Tzeltal, and other Maya languages in addition to Spanish, French, Italian, and English. You may find him conducting tours of the collection or working in the medical clinic that occupies most of the courtyard of the museum building.

The collection, assembled over many decades is displayed to highlight some ancient, and many are exquisite outfits. These are arranged as they worn with a note as to the traditional purpose, the name of the town, and the main occupations of the men or women likely to have worn such clothing. An adjacent gallery includes a collection of weapons, spears, knives, and other implements. There is also a collection of photos and newspaper clippings.

Textiles that stand out are those from Zinacantán, and these are which are especially beautiful in blues, greens, and purples. The town is especially famous for the weaving done inhuipiles, with spectacular pink and purple flowers standing out against darker backgrounds. Interestingly, flower cultivation is the other most important economic activities in the town. 

People generally get to the museum after a stroll through the San Cristobal Historic Center. The Museo Sergio Castro is just about two blocks directly west from the south of the Cathedral of San Cristobal. The Museum of Popular Culture is just a block to the south.